1. Field of the Invention
This document relates to a plasma display apparatus and a method of driving the plasma display apparatus.
2. Description of the Background Art
A plasma display apparatus comprises a plasma display panel and a driver for supplying a driving voltage to the plasma display panel.
The plasma display apparatus displays an image on the plasma display panel. The plasma display panel comprises cells formed by barrier ribs formed between a front panel and a rear panel. Each of the cells is filled with an inert gas containing a main discharge gas such as neon (Ne), helium (He) or a Ne—He gas mixture and a small amount of xenon (Xe). When a driving signal is supplied to an electrode of the plasma display panel, a discharge is generated. A protective layer such as a MgO layer is provided to help the generation of the discharge and to protect the electrode of the plasma display panel. When generating the discharge, the inert gas within the cells generates vacuum ultraviolet rays. The vacuum ultraviolet rays emit a phosphor formed between the barrier ribs such that the image is displayed.
The plasma display panel represents gray scale by a combination of subfields constituting a frame. One frame comprises a plurality of subfields. Each of the subfields comprises a reset period for initializing the cells, an address period for selecting cells, and a sustain period for emitting the selected cells. The gray scale of the image is represented by changing gray level of the sustain period in accordance with the combination of the subfields.
In the reset period of the subfield, a reset signal is supplied to a scan electrode of the plasma display panel so that all of the cells of the plasma display panel are initialized. In the address period, a scan signal is supplied to the scan electrode and a data signal is supplied to an address electrode of the plasma display panel so that cells are selected. In the sustain period, a sustain signal is supplied to at least one of the scan electrode and a sustain electrode of the plasma display panel, so that a sustain discharge is generated in the selected cells.
The discharge generated in the plasma display panel is affected by various factors. In particular, structures of the scan electrode and the sustain electrode of the plasma display panel greatly affect the discharge.